


The importance of a proper haircut

by Random_Human



Series: ShinIchi Week 2019 [5]
Category: Bleach
Genre: A little bit of angst, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, ShinIchi Week 2019, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 13:37:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17726213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Human/pseuds/Random_Human
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo was different – weird, funny,other- as one of the few born without a visible Soul Mark. Yes, over the course of years a number of Marks would develop on the body, signifying the bonds of family and friendship, but that first Mark, always distinct against the faded seipa of other Marks, simply wasn’t there.





	The importance of a proper haircut

**Author's Note:**

> ShinIchi Week 2019 Day 5 - Soulmates
> 
> Okay so this is very late, but I do have a number of valid excuses boiling down to the fact that I was very busy on the day this was supposed to be posted, and finally had the time I wanted to dedicate to my fave prompt today!
> 
> Anyways, I love the concept of soulmates, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Happy reading!

Soulmates were sort of an… odd concept for a people who were known to live for hundreds of years. Whereas the transient world, with their short lifespans and busy lives, had all sorts of ways to make finding a Soulmate easier – websites and forums and even a budding community of investigators dedicated to helping ease the search. On the other hand, in the Soul Society the topic of Soulmates was almost actively taboo – yes, having one provided a number of benefits, especially if you were in the Gotei 13, but asking one about their Soul Marks was one of the greatest offences one could commit – it was believed that true Soulmates would always be able to find each other, regardless of the distance between them, and that any sort of interference was taboo.

\--- 

Kurosaki Ichigo was different – weird, funny, _other_ \- as one of the few born without a visible Soul Mark. Yes, over the course of years a number of Marks would develop on the body, signifying the bonds of family and friendship, but that first Mark, always distinct against the faded sepia of other Marks, simply wasn’t there. While other parents would despair, Misaki and Isshin - rarities in themselves, also born without those obvious Soul Marks – found little issue in this. While they didn’t plan shelter Ichigo from the realities of not having a romantic Soul Mark, they had decided to wait until he was of an age where he could properly understand. Instead focusing on the Marks of _Family_ they all shared, and the blossoming Marks that signified his twin sisters. 

Ten, they decided, was an appropriate age to introduce the child into the realities of this world. They would do it slowly, carefully and above all with _tact_ \- that statement distinctly aimed towards Isshin. Only, it was not to be. For less than a month before Ichigo’s 10th birthday, tragedy had befallen them. Misaki’s death. In the chaos, any sort of gentle introduction was forgotten. Ichigo instead found it out the hard way, through the bullies and punks that arose in the wake of his mother's death, through the harsh words they spewed, aimed at his unique hair and distinct _lack_ of something more.

\--- 

Only, when he was 15 that all changed again. For with Soul Marks came a catch, one little known with the worlds being as separate as they were. While the eldest always gained the Mark, it would only appear on the younger when they were both of the same state. Among most, this meant either living or dead. For Ichigo, this meant that when his soul was first forced out of his body, the Mark hidden for so long was finally revealed.

At first, he hadn’t realised. What with it being where it was. The discovery had begun a few days later, when Rukia’s harsh voice had barked, “Ichigo, what’s that on your face?”

“What?” The teen had questioned, confused.

“That! Right there.” Coming closer, she pulled him down so she could fiddle with his hair. “-Oh!” She broke off with a loud gasp, quickly moving the hair to its original position. “Ichigo you need to be more careful. To have your Mark so easily noticeable is obscene.”

“What mark you midget? I think I would’ve noticed before now if I had a _Soul Mark_ on my face!”

\--- 

From then on Ichigo’s life as a Shinigami became an exercise in hiding the damn Mark. Yes, he was overjoyed that he did have a true Soulmate, but when Rukia had dragged him before Urahara to get an explanation, the older Shinigami had, in a moment of kindness, taken Ichigo aside explained the attitudes the Soul Society had towards Soulmates and the fact that his Soulmate was more than likely a member of the Gotei 13, or a soul of the Rukongai. From what he had heard, neither option appealed to him much.

Even when he invaded the Soul Society, Ichigo refused to resort to makeup. Hell if he would bow to the whims of a society planning on arbitrarily killing one of his friends. Yes, he was cautious with the Mark, fiddling with his hair until it covered the Mark as much as possible. But that was his limit. More than once, the bright colour had left it being mistaken for a wound left over from some battle or other – the sheer horror on Hanataro's face when he uncovered the Mark in an attempt to heal him was hilarious. 

Ichigo had returned home, triumphant but with a newfound dislike of the out-dated ideology the Soul Society promoted. Still, in an attempt to stop the stares he got from any of the Shinigami who had noticed the distinctive symbol, he did grow out his hair a bit, just until it covered the edges of the Mark.

\--- 

Ichigo had gotten so used to hiding the Mark around Shinigami that it had become second nature to continue to do so around the Visored. And, although his preoccupation with his hair had garnered him a number of insults from Hiyori, it was mostly left alone. So, it had come to a shock when, during one particularly intense day of training, Ichigo, so exhausted he could care little for the conventions of others, collapsed on the common room couch, Mark out for all to see.

“Shinji, I think you should see this.”

Ichigo was awoken by a loud voice, “Why Ichigo, you didn’t tell us you had a Soul Mark?” Shinji drawled – for in the course of training, and in hours spent unwinding in the healing spring the Visored had come to the conclusion that the teen was without one. 

“What?” The redhead’s sleep filled voice slurred, “Oh, that, sorry.” He replied, awareness slowly filling his eyes as he rubbed at the Mark, pulling his hair to cover it.

“Wait, kid, I-” Shinji broke off, troubled expression clouding his features.

“What is it?”

“Never mind.”

\--- 

It was not until Ichigo saw Shinji next that he understood what the other man had wanted so desperately to say. It was not until Shinji confronted him, turned and faced him as he questioned Ichigo’s want to bury Ginjo. Ichigo didn’t understand the change at first, didn’t do more than note the slightly different hairstyle, but when Shinji smirked at him at his bull-headed proclamation, turning swiftly as if to draw Ichigo’s attention to the vibrant _red_ clearly visible with this new haircut, Ichigo finally _understood_.

It was Shinji, his Soulmate, his other haft, Bonded and all that. He thought he should be shocked by this turn of events, but as he considered it, turned the idea around in his mind, he realised that in some deep corner of his mind he abstractly knew it to be true. It was always _Shinji_.

Facing the Soutaicho with determination in his eyes, Ichigo reached up, seemingly casual, and brushed the hair away from his face.

Gasps filled the room.

Meeting his gaze Shinji smiled that piano-toothed grin, respect in his eyes. Yes, there would be time for discussion, time to work things out, to snark at each other until they were tired out and could come to a final conclusion. But for now, Ichigo had a (verbal) battle to win.

**Author's Note:**

> So a bit of explanation, Shinji and Ichigo's marks are on the right side of their foreheads and sit a bit above their eyebrows, and go down to beside their eyes (so something conceivably covered by a longer fringe). I just really wanted to play with the idea of Shinji's fringe, and the way he later changes it. I may post some art of how I picture their Soul Marks at a later date.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! I really loved writing for all of these prompts <3


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